Kejriwal to fast against inflated power bills

Paying respect to Shaheed Bhagat Singh ahead of the anniversary of his martyrdom and bringing his third generation successor on dias, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal on Friday announced his civil disobedience movement against illegal power and water bills in Delhi from Saturday.

Asking Delhiites not to pay inflated power and water bills, Kejriwal announced his indefinite fast at Sundar Nagari in east Delhi. He will stay put at a room in a common man's house during his fast.

"The common man is afraid that his connection would be severed. We want people to unite against the government."

"At the most, there will be police cases against you. When AAP comes to power after November, we will withdraw all such cases," he promised.

The AAP leader, however, said if the government is ready to reduce tariff by half, it was agreeable as the inflated bills are a result of corruption.

Asked when his 'indefinite fast' will end, he said: "The demand is from the common man now. We don't know when enough people will unite, when large number of Delhiites will stop paying bills … we will decide then."

Expressing solidarity with the cause, Abhitej Singh, grandson of Kulbir Singh --- Bhagat Singh's younger brother --- said, "Bhagat Singh's fight was not for becoming a prime minister or a chief minister but against a system. The need today is to change people's mentality."

AAP a political partyAam Aadmi Party got its registration from the Election Commission of India on Friday. The registration comes to effect on March 21. "This takes us one step closer to our dream of Swaraj," an AAP statement said.